On January 20th, the up and coming Columbus band, Tourist Trap, celebrated the release of their EP, Going Postal, at CD 102.5’s Big Room Bar. Supporting Tourist Trap were Cousin Simple, Ghost Soul Trio, and Go Go Buffalo. Tourist Trap describes their sound as alternative rock with punk and surf influences, or better known to them as “porch punk.” The drummer from locally well-known Zoo Trippin, Steve Hatmaker, joined bassist Zach Barnes, singer Roberto Bryer, and guitarist Nathan Weirich for the evening. Lynn Roose, also from Zoo Trippin’, even joined the band for two songs.

After Tourist Trap filled the Big Room Bar with an energetic set, I met with Zach Barnes to talk about Going Postal, the future of Tourist Trap, and importantly, his favorite color of drink.

Alex: Tell me a little about Going Postal. How long has Tourist Trap been together?

Zach Barnes: We’ve been together for two years. We’ve been working on the EP for two years, just writing concept wise. It took us about 6 months to record it just because of time constraints. It’s been about 2 years since we’ve done this, so we plan on recording more this year.

Alex: Were you excited to have your release show here?

Zach: Yes, it’s a home bar for a lot of CD and EP release parties. We definitely wanted a space big enough to possibly sell out, and we actually did sell out half way through the show. This is where we wanted it to be. It was helpful of CD 102.5 to promote the show. We were featured in promotions on the radio … so it was a good choice for our hometown release.

Alex: What’s your favorite song on the new EP?

Zach: The title track, “Going Postal”, because it’s bass heavy. I’m a bassist, so I gotta pick and choose where I can, but I do enjoy all the songs. They’re all written by different people in the band. . . . Going Postal is definitely our longest song on the EP and I just love it. . . . It’s our style.

Alex: Would you say Columbus has had a big influence on your sound?

Zach: Yes, I say we sound like Columbus. I feel like a lot of bands around here say that about their music and it’s true. I don’t hear bands from other cities that sound like Columbus, Ohio. Maybe Cleveland or Cincinnati, or maybe to go as far as Detroit or Kentucky, but you don’t find the same kind of strong local alternative scene like you do here in my opinion.

Alex: During your set, you mentioned Steve Hatmaker from the Columbus band Zoo Trippin’ has been drumming for the band for the last two weeks. Is he just a temporary drummer?

Zach: He’s basically my big brother. . . . We are looking for a drummer, unfortunately, but at this time we do have a few in mind. We do have a drummer that we used to work with named Matt Straley. He’s actually the drummer for the first track on the album. He’s going to be our fill in drummer for a few shows.

Alex: What’s next for you guys?

Zach: We’re gonna play some shows, find a drummer, and release a single hopefully in the next few months.

We’re looking for a new studio to work in - not because of bad blood - but because we want to look out for what’s happening around Columbus, do things that we’ve never done before . . . strive out into the city . . . and see if it changes our sound or see if we’re missing something. We are seeing if we are where we want to be.